Quigley Preparatory Seminary - La Petit Seminaire Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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to refresh h1s knowledge he based each talk on the needs of h1s congregatlon and he prepared scrupulously Pope Plus X m h1s spare tlme arranged a umformly graded catechlsm book for use throughout Italy H also re maugurated diocesan synods wherem all the parlsh prlests could at least once a year be recharged wxth the electrzclty of age old Cathohc thought VVhen he became the Prlsoner of the Vatxcan and could no longer labor among the commonweal, he had h1s people come to h1m Each week m the Court of St Damasus, he would glve a homlly to the Cathollcs of a dlfferent parlsh Of all the names wh1ch the devout gave Blessed Plus X the ne he ap preclated most was bemg called the Pope of the Holy Eucharlst told his llsteners one day that Holy Commumon was the shortest and sur est way to heaven And to combat the error of ansemsm he defined fre quent Commumon to mean dally Commumon The Jansenlsts had taught that men should recelve the1r Creator but rarely and w1th great cautxon However, the story whlch best tells the feellng of Gluseppe Sarto concern mg the Sacrament of Love IS told as follows Once an Engllshman brought has four year old son to a private aud lence The father mentloned that h1s son would be makmg hls FIFSI Com munlon xn a few years VVell let us see what he knows Sald Plus X VVhom do you recelve m Holy Communlon my ch1ldP esus Chrlst said the boy promptly 24 And who IS esus Chrlstp He IS God the boy answered con fidently The Pope looked at the father Bring h1m to my Mass tomorrow mornxng and I w1ll glve hxm Holy Communlon myself Stlll the most endearmg quallty of Father Gnuseppe was h1s love of the poor If he could glve them materlal asslstance from hls small store, he dld so, lf not he gave them hope and faxth, and that was often better than money It sometlmes happened that hls char1ty exceeded hls lncome Then h1s two dollar pocket watch or later, his eplscopal rmg would go mto pawn VVherever he was sent Father Sarto soon exper1enced the love of a grate ful parxsh Dld he not eat thelr slmple fare w1th them play at cards w1th themp Dld he not V1Slt them when they were slck, teach them and thelr chlldren about God pray for them? The l1f!: and phxlosophy of Father Gluseppe Sarto as a parlsh priest IS well summed up 1n the followmg mean mgful quotatlon To hve m the mldSt of the world without w1sh1ng 1ts pleasures to be a member of each famlly, yet belongmg to none to share all sufferlngs t penetrate all secrets to heal all wounds to go from men to God and offer Hlm thelr prayers to return from God to men to brlng pardon and hope to have a heart of fire for char1ty and a heart of bronze for chast1ty to teach and to pardon console and bless al ways what a glorlous l1fe' And It IS yours O prlest of esus Chrlstl . l U . J . ,, , . ' it ' H 9 - D . . U. . . H . . . xc ' ' . e n n u n n u 7' 1- s . ,, ' 0 1 u D ' s ' . . . . . 3 ' I . . . D s 0 ' . . 3 at ' H ' . He . . . . . . , ' 1 . . . J ' cc n ' n ' H 3 ' . .. . . . , . - . . H . . . - S , . . . . . , , O - - - , 5 ' 1 . . . . ' 3 as as ' D 3 . . U I . . . ' 7 . . . H D ' I D - it-I . ,, . . . . . , 1 . . . H . , .

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elevatlon but tremble 1n the1r fall for the joy at hav1ng held the hexghts IS not comparable to the sorrow of belng flung down from the summlts I short from the very Subllmlfy of h1s oH'ice, the pr1est must check h1s accounts more often and more zeal ously than h1s par1sh1oners If at any t1me there was urgent need of emlnent vlrtue among the clergy surely lt IS now A frlghtened godless world that has dlscovered everythmg but peace IS trembl1ng at 1fS own folly W ho can show these people the way back to the Person VN hom they neg lected and overlooked 1n admlrmg H1s works? Who can teach them how to effect a last1ng harmony but the am bassador of Peace the pr1est Depend ent on h1m also are m1ll1ons of ch1ldren the dearest hope of the Church and State who are surrounded on all s1des by mfluences tend1ng to dece1t and seduct1on The world of tomorrow 11 111 depend upon how well the pr1est of today does h1s job Blessed Plus X appreclated the fact that a pr1est requ1red all the helps avallable to fulfnll the herculean com m1ss1ons of h1s oHice Therefore he suggested other helps or trlmmlngs to supplement and aSS1St the bas1c funda mentals of pray er med1tat1on, and self eXam1nat1on The salntly pontlff enjomed annual retreats and monthly days of recollect1on for h1s cler1cal charges He also h1ghly recommended the read1ng of sp1r1tual thought pro voklng books, especxally those d1v1nely 1nsp1red LlkCWlSC he encouraged prxestly get togethers for Plus X knew the value of true fr1endsh1p A loyal frlend IS one who encourages you when you need bolstermg, who consoles you when you need comfort who corrects you when you make a mlstake who counsels you when you need advice and who prays for you all the tlme Is there a truer or more sol1d frlend sh1p than that whlch CXlStS between eccles1ast1csP Nor should a clerlc forget h1s brother pr1ests who have completed the1r m1s SIOHS on earth and whose names are now resplendent 1n the book of l1fe Rebuffed and affronted they went on the1rwayrejo1c1ng rev1led they blessed 1n return Let the example and prayers ofh1s val1ant predecessors whose pralses the Church now dellghts to celebrate, urge the pr1ests on and keynote h1S act1ons IH Slmllaf stra1ts And when fl1lf1gS get rough let h1m remember the many souls of a noble type not only 1n rel1g1ous houses but even 1n the world who offer them selves w1th unflaggmg generos1ty as v1ct1ms for the sanct1Hcat1on of pr1ests Last and most hearten1ng of all let a pr1est take courage from the fact that he as another Chrlst has a dlrect w1re to Mary the tr1umph of creat1on She by her example,taught theApostles the hrst fru1ts of the m1n1stry Everyone l1ked to hear Father Glu seppe preach H1s resonant and mus1cal vo1ce reverberated w1th unassumed s1n cerlty as he unraveled the Gospel of the day, br1ng1ng home practlcal lessons of bas1c Cathollc doctrme He preached as often as he was able know1ng that 1t was h1s duty to glve h1s par1sh1oners the fru1ts of hlS years 1n the semmary H1s average sermon lasted about one half hour, but It seemed more hke Hve mmutes He constantly studled 23 ! ! J . H . . n , , . . U 7 . . . ,, . . . . . 5 - . X . . . H ' 9 , . . . . . . 9 3 7 ' ar , . , 1 ' u D J I , .. . ' D 3 . . . H . I J . . H . . - , , ' 5 . . . , . . 7 . . . . , . - , - . . ' ' 9 . . - , - u J. .

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0 M4 fqfiegfo We wnsh to Ioy open Qur heort the lweort Indeed of o Father full of cmxlety cmd love os he looks on his sons If . , l l